Eletric Motor odd questions

[Bigfish57]

Hey guys  I have some questions for you guys with more electric motor experience then me.

Has anyone used the ones that have a remote foot control?  Do they use a lot more power than a standard one? Dose the foot pedal control front and reverse as well as left and right? Can you select the speeds with it? Are they reliable? And finnay what brands do you prefer and why?

This motor will be used on a square back canoe of 16' so how many foot pounds would you reccomend? Is there a huge difference between 40 and 50?

I have a  35 pounder now and am tired of reaching back like a contortunest.

[Legend]

I have a minn kota power drive bow mounted (55lb thrust)

Easy to control, built in maximizer not to drain the battery.

As for transom mount motors would suggest that you opt for more power than not enough.

[Coldfeet]

Black Phoenix
I have a Minn Kota same as Legend. The power drive model which is for a bow mount. First thing to think of when you mount it on is do you want it on the bow or stern. these units do eat a little room and you will have to come up with a bracket to mount it on the canoe. These units do not have reverse you just turn it 180 deg for reverse. The second thing to think about is pounds of thrust. You run a 30 lber now and it runs on 12 volts if you get much bigger you will have to have a second battery because it will be a 24 volt system. and thats a lot of extra weight for the canoe. If it were my canoe I personally would think of mounting it on the bow the MinnKota Power drive has a 16ft cable to the foot control so sitting in the back running it will balance the canoe better than have it hanging off the back. Also you still could run your stern mount unit when you wanted to. Having it on the front gives you a lot better boat controll since you pull the boat instead of push it and with wind or current it might be a better option. These power drive units have a unlimited speed controll you have a slide speed selector on the foot controll and also a lock so if you want to troll you don't need to keep your foot on the pedal or you can unlock it and just push the pedal down to move just a few feet and release the pedal and stop. they make one with about 36lbs of thrust and that will be more than enough thrust for a canoe. Just watch out and don't buy one with a real long shaft length you will not need it in a canoe.
Cold Feet

[Bigfish57]

Cold feet that was a great Post!

The ballancing act and elimination of a square stern will allow me to buy a better (more comfortable canoe). The only thing that I don't like about this idea is that I won't be able to see Shallow water before I hit bottom.  I wounder how deep I will need to run the shaft in order to still run fast at all speeds? I would hate to bust it on a rock!

Now as I have never had a bow mounted  motor is there really that much improvement in handeling? Even on my speed boat It is in the rear. Is a front mount that much more powerfull?

I currently have a 16-7' old town that I use my 35 pounder on. I have a bracket that allows me to run th emotor on the side in the rear (taperd stern). This is a huge pain in the butt. It turns very badly and dosn't push it all that well. I only want to do this new set up once so any and all info is a great help!

I am looking to run a 14-16-5' canoe with out riggers (she is scaired ) I want to mount the battery in the front with a solar pannel. I was looking at a square stern but now am thinking maybe not. (probably will still buy one just incase) This will also see a lot of pond and small lake trolling as the power boat is more trouble than fun a times even though it runs perfect.

[Coldfeet]

Black Phoenix
 First thing to think about is running the motor off the bow is you are pulling the boat much the same as a front wheel drive car, when you get into current with a stern mount the bow wants to come around unless you drop anchor to hold the boat straight. With the bow mount you can cut the power down just enough to hold the boat straight much the same as I do in wind with a regular boat. Being mounted on the bow you will find you will use less power sense the stern follows much easier than trying to force the bow where you want the boat to go. Also with the bow mount you will be able to sit more in the middle of the canoe where you will be a lot more stable. This will be way better comfort wise  allowing more leg room, also it will allow you to watch bottom just in case you do have to pull up the motor to get around obstruction's in a creek or river. One suggestion is if you buy a new unit get a extra prop you just never know if you might need it. If you buy one and mount it on the bow place the boat in the water and adjust the depth just shallow enough so you don't get a lot of prop wash this might be around 18" deep from the water line. If you are in moving water you should be able to read the water enough to stay away from anything that will destroy the prop. The main draw back is you would have to get up and manually tilt the motor when you run into shallow water and paddle through it. Maybe with a little thought you might be able to rig it up with a short rope and be able to do this from your seat. You say you already own a stern mount these can be changed to a bow mount by removing the screw under the controll head and twisting the head to point backwards. If you wanted to try this before you buy a new unit just rig it up on the bow and give it a quick try in current you will see quiet a difference in handling.
Cold Feet

[Bigfish57]

I really do like the sound of the Bow mount and I still may go that route after trying it with my old one. The problems with this set up might be more than the gain. Is a 55 pounder in back going to work well or will I just be dissapointed? Between hitting rocks an loosing the bow space needed for the solar panel, combind with lossof sitting room I dunno If it make sence.

Granted I don't need to go more than 5mph at the most, I just want to be able to do it in a head wind if I need to, without beaking out the paddles.  I understand the only real way to know is to try it but since My motor is half the thrust of the new one I will buy I am hopeing you 55ers out there can through me a bone.

[USMC130FE]

If you mount a 50-55 lb thrust on a canoe, you'll be able to waterski behind it.  I have a 60lb mounted on my 18.5 Skeeter bass boat and it moves me around all day with no problem.  Granted it is a 24volt system but the boat weighs an ungodly amount more than a canoe.  I've used a transom mounted trolling motor on canoes before and have found the brackets that mount across the gunnel's (not a square back canoe) seems to work out "OK"  I usually just turned around and sat on my cooler and worked the boat backwards when fishing.  It left the "Bow" of the boat open for the battery and ex cetera.  Not the most efficient way but a lot cheaper than spending $4-500 for a good bow mount.

Just my $0.02
Steve